Boats which are propelled by propulsion systems, such as stern drive systems, commonly have an aperture in the transom through which extends a part of the stem drive system to enable transmission of power from an engine within the boat hull to a propulsion unit positioned rearwardly of the transom. Mounting of the stem drive system through the transom has required a seal to prevent entry of water through the aperture into the boat hull. Various arrangements have been employed in the past for providing a seal between the stem drive and the boat transom to prevent entry of water into the interior of the boat. Unfortunately, it is believed that each of such prior sealing arrangements may be somewhat vulnerable to single failures, that is, if the seal develops a single rupture, the boat could sink. Further, typical seals have involved various parts, such as trims, castings, and screws, and have been relatively burdensome to assemble.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a seal having structural redundancies that provide independent dual sealing, that is, a seal that would require separate failures of each of the structures that respectively provide independent sealing before the overall transom seal would be compromised. It is further desirable to provide a seal that may be readily assembled during manufacturing operations or during servicing or maintenance operations.
Generally speaking, the present invention in one aspect thereof fulfills the foregoing needs by providing a boat having a transom including an inner wall and an outer wall defining an opening therein. A stem drive system has a part thereof extending through the transom opening, and an inflatable seal is adhesively secured between respective peripheries of the part and the transom opening to provide water-tight sealing relative to the interior of the boat even in the presence of a seal puncture condition.
The present invention may further fulfill the foregoing needs in another aspect thereof by providing a transom seal assembly for sealing an opening in a boat transom. A propulsion system has a part thereof extending through the transom opening. The seal assembly comprises an inflatable seal between respective peripheries of the part and the transom opening to provide water-tight sealing relative to the interior of the boat even in the presence of a seal puncture condition. In one exemplary embodiment, the seal comprises a base and two anchor members circumferentially extending along the periphery of the transom opening and adhesively secured thereto.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for sealing an opening in a boat transom is provided. The opening is configured to allow a part of a propulsion system to pass therethrough. The method allows for adhesively securing an inflatable seal between the part and the transom assembly. The method further allows for maintaining a water-tight seal relative to the interior of the boat even in the presence of a seal puncture condition.